The True Bride of The Living Dummy

An Unsettling Tea Party

Once the family arrived home, Kristy sprinted out of the car and ran inside, jogging up to her room.

She carried Belinda along with her under her arm, giggling.

The little girl opened her door, revealing the vaguely familiar light pink bedroom.

She kneeled next to a small table, surrounded with different types of chairs collected from all sorts of locations throughout the house.

Kristy smiled as she placed Belinda into a little white whicker chair, sitting her at the table.

Belinda, trying her best not to cause any movement, and observed the scene carefully.

The table was surrounded with different stuffed animals and dolls Kristy had owned, but Belinda remembered that none of them were alive, anyways.

Carefully set up in the middle of the table, was a small plastic tea set.

The doll assumed today was another day of pretend tea party.

Belinda smiled softly, remembering all of the moments her and Kristy spent playing together. The doll's favorite was dress up, a game in which Kristy would put her in adorable little dresses.

Those were some of Belinda's most treasured memories, but every day with Kristy felt the same, it wasn't as exciting as it used to be. Sometimes Kristy didn't even play with her at all, she would just leave her up on a shelf, alone and forgotten.

With Slappy, however, he made her feel special every single day. He filled her heart with a happiness she never felt before.

Belinda began to feel homesick, and missed Slappy dearly. She didn't want to have a tea party, she just wanted to go home.

All of a sudden, and outbreak of shouting voices known to belong to Kristy's parents could be heard coming from downstairs.

Kristy quickly got up to shut the door, then crawled back to the table and kneeled next to Belinda.

Belinda felt sorry for Kristy. The little girl was just a child, having to deal with her parents who constantly argued all the time.

Annabelle, the mother, had been divorced from her original husband for quite a few years. She had just recently gotten remarried to Erik, who wasn't the nicest guy in the world. He tended to be extremely controlling, leading himself and Annabelle to nothing but consistent arguments.

Kristy adjusted some of the stuffed animals in their chairs, and passed out the little plastic tea cups to everyone.

The small child then took a doll brush off her bed and got behind Belinda, gently combing the doll's locks.

Belinda giggled to herself as she enjoyed the bonding between herself and her owner.

Kristy smiled as she lightly touched the doll's smooth hair, then grabbed the pull string from Belinda's back and gave it a small tug, causing Belinda's voice box to say her usual phrase in a sweet little tone.

"My name is Talky Tina, and I love you very much!"

Talky Tina is Belinda's doll name, given to her by the company who made her. They were popular sellers, and were well-known for their "talking dolls".

Kristy grinned at Belinda and kissed the top of her head.

"Miss Belinda, it's about time you met our newest member to the family! Her name is Mary-Ellen! Mommy bought her for me while you were gone." Kristy explained, then pointed over to a fairly large, yet ugly, plastic doll sitting next to a teddy bear.

The doll was a bit on the frightening side, her face scrunched up with a set of terrifying, beading purple eyes. She was much bigger than Belinda, and was nearly as tall as Kristy. Belinda always wore a soft, comforting smile on her face. However, Mary-Ellen's wide, plastic grin looked forced and fake. The scary doll was wearing a frumpy pink dress with an obnoxious, matching pink bow. However, the hair bow was hidden among the crazy jungle of so-called hair. The doll's Afro was composed of black and white frizz that would make even the bride of Frankenstein throw up. To top the whole look off, she had painted red circles for cheeks, which had chipped away within age. She seemed to have been around for quite some time, must be known for an antique or some sort.

The strange, new doll seemed to be glaring at Belinda with cold, evil eyes, resembling a predator ready to attack it's prey.

This made Belinda feel slightly creeped out and uneasy.

Kristy, with small hands, grabbed a plastic tea cup from the center, and held it up to Belinda's rosy lips.

The little girl made slurping sounds with her mouth, mimicking a drinking sound to pretend Belinda was drinking the tea, then placed the tea cup down. The child then took a fabric napkin from the table and dabbed Belinda's mouth gently with it.

"Wasn't that delicious, Lindy? I made the tea myself!" Kristy announced proudly.

Belinda smiled. She really cared about Kristy and wanted to look after her, but she knew she needed to be with Slappy. She couldn't just be someone's toy for the rest of her life and be away from the one she loved, it would be too hurtful.

A sudden outbreak of voices came from downstairs, as Kristy's mother called her to come down for supper.

The child got up, leaving her dollies in place, and headed down stairs.

This was her chance, it was time for Belinda to escape.

The doll quickly stood up from the tea chair, and fixed herself up.

"Much better.." She thought to herself as she adjusted the lace at the bottom of her skirt.

Swiftly, she then scurried to the other side of the room, climbing up to the window ledge in order to make her escape.

She pushed up with all of her effort to try and open the stubborn window.

Suddenly, someone called out to her before she could open it all the way.

"Where do you think you're going?" A shrill voice sneered from behind.

Uh oh.